Observation-tower.



l n IMENIED JULY 31.1.1906. c. H. cooLBY. l

y OBSERVATION TOWER. APPLICATION FILED APB.18, 1906.

' 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

ATTORNEYS f 30 knowledge of the 'details of construction of UNITED srATns CHARLESy c'ooLEr,l @or WICHITA, KANsAs. I OBSERVATION-Towels.

To all whom it may con/cern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES CooLEY, a

citizen of -the United States, residing at Wichita, in the county of Sedgwick andState of Kansas, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Observation-Towers ,1

Of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to amusement'del vices, and particularly to al novel construction of observation-tower in which a series of cars is mounted to revolve about an axis which may be raised and lowered zand ,Stopped at will while the cars are revolving.

The object of my invention is to provide :an observation-tower of this character embodying an improved construction andV arrangement of theparts, which lare atV all times under the control of one operator and in which are embodied safety devices designed .to vautomatically prevent therevoluble series `of cars from exceeding a predetermined altitude or from being loweredv beyond' the desired point.

. v/Vith this and other objects in vi ew,l as will more fully appear as Ithe description proceeds, the invention consists of the constructions,

l arrangements, and combinations of thefparts A hereinafter fully described andclaimed.

.For a full description of the inventionv andi the Imerits thereofand kalso. to acquire' a the means for effecting the result reference is to be had to the following description and ac- `companying drawings, in which-1 ing taken at right angles to eachother.

Figures l and 2V are side elevations of improved observation-tower, said viewsjb'e-z Fig. ll?)l is yaldetail view illustrating the Vmeans for revolving the cage or revoluble series of cars,

.the actuating-cable therefor being broken away or foreshortened. Figs. 4,45, and 6 are .i .detail front, side, and horizontal sectional 'A views, respectively, of one of thehangers from which the cage is suspended'. f Fig.A 7 is .a .detail top plan'view illustrating theY hoists, worm-gear, and automatic safety- .I clutch, the tower structure being broken Vaway or shown in'horizontal section.

Fig'. 8

, isa detail side elevation with parts in section and on a large scalel of part of thea'ctuating f meansfor raising and loweringv the cage or carriage. Fig. 9 is a perspective view illusj Vtrating the actuating-gear Vor movable elej ments apart from their supporting structure. i .55.V

i .is los@heirate'-Sstieeelfrieriiheegh speciacation Bf Letters Patent. l Application filed .April 18, 1906. Serial No. $12,436.

' ports for the X. right, and there Sis ratenteacuiy .31, 190e.

thestructural framework of the tower.

.PATENT oFFIoIr.)

11 is la View, upon an enlarged scale, of some g of the parts illustrated in Fig. 7, the clutch being actuated to uncouple thetwo vsections of one vof the shafts. Fig. 12 is a detail pei'- spective view illustrating La portion of the hand-lever for the clutchand the means'for V detachably connecting the'automatic voper-- ating-chain thereto. y p Corresponding and like parts are referred `to in the following description and indicated' in all the -views of thek drawings by the same reference characters.

The tower structure itself'of'my inventionv may be of any'desired construction or design so long as it provides suitable guides for the f The tracks of theguideway 2 are constitutedv by the adjacent vertical bars 3 of the-spacedof each standard or upapart members lEL y l provided a han erf4 for each ,guideway Each hanger, as il ustrated in Figs. 4, 5', and 6,r comprises a body portion formed near its lower end with Va shaft-bearing 5, at its upper end being provided with a' sheave 6 and being formed at bothupperand lower ends with two pairs of recessed guides 7, designed to receive thevertical bars 3 of the members la. By thi 4 is mounted to slide up and down in vone of` the guideways 2.

Within the opposite shaft-bearings5 of the l two hangers 4. is vj ournaled Ithe main carryingshaft 8, extended a revoluble manner two cages or carriages 9. These carriages ma either be a solid vSVllel or, as shown in t e present instance, maycomprise a series of radial arms v10,0f any desired number carrying at theirouter ends freely-swinging cars 11 for the reception ofpassengers. They arms 10 are varranged in pairsspaced apart from each other, as kshown in Fig. v2, and thecars 1 1` are 'suspended upon supportbeyond' the framework at f both ends and supporting `in vws ving-rodslZ, secured between the outer ends l kof yeach pair of arms.

Hoisting-cables '1 3' lare mounted' to pass overr pulleys' 14, joullajledin boXesat theup- I 1o yroo l j framework.

gear-wheel shaft 2 l A structed in two sections, of which one is desigdurch 23. 24.

. nated 29.

nated 22, said sections being connected together whenever desired by means of a The section 22 carries a pulley The shaft 21 is a driving-shaft for the apparatus, and for this purpose the outer end of this section 22 is provided with a pulley 25, designed to receive its motion in any desired manner and from any source of power.

Above the actuating means just described a transverse shaft 26 is mounted in the framework, and a grooved y thereon.

pulley 27 is secured work is mounted anot er transverse shaft 28, also provided with a grooved pulley, desig- The main supporting-shaft 8, on which the revoluble series of cars 11 are mounted, has secured on it a grooved bandwheel 30, preferably of larger diameter than the grooved pulleys 27 and 29 and interposed between the same and in alinement therewith. An endless cable 31 extends around both the pulleys 27 and 29 and is looped with one or more turns about the band-wheel 30,

as best indicated in Fig. 3. The shaft 26 is provided at one end with a gear-wheel 32, meshing with a worm 33 on a shaft 34. The shaft 34 is connected by a pulley and belt 35 to the pulley 24 and the section 22 of the shaft 21.

From the foregoing description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, it will be seen that as the shaft 21 is rotated, it being understood that the clutch 23 has 'been actuated to connect the two sections of the shaft together, the said shaft 21 will turn the hoisting-drums 16 in one direction or the other, so as to elevate or depress the hangers l 4 and the shaft 8 carried thereby, the two sei tality of ries of revoluble cars 11 by this means being raised or lowered bodily. At the same time it is to be noted that the shaft 26 is receiving a rotary movement through the instrumenthe pulley 24, belt 35, and wormgearing before described, and as the shaft 26 turns it is manifest that the traverse of the endless cable 31 will 1m art a rotary movement to the band-whee and revolve the two series of cars 11 as they are being raised and lowered. lf it be desired to stop the ascent-or descent of the cars and continue their revolution at any desired elevation,-this may Near the upper end of the frame-' be readily accomplished by actuating the `clutch 23 to uncouple the two sections of the shaft 21. This action, it will be seen, will result in the continued revolution of the section 22 of the shaft and the conse uent revolution of the series of cars 11, Vfliile at the same time that section of the shaft 21 carrying the worm 2() will .remain motionless and no motion will be imparted to the shaft 17 nor through said shaft to the suspending hangers 4. By employing worm-gearing, as before described, the cars may be thus held at any elevation without danger of descending by their own weight when released, as just described.

In order to revent the series of cars from ascending bo ily beyond a certain extreme' height, I have provided safety means for automatically throwing the elevating and lowering section of the shaft 21 out of action. This means comprises, in the present instance, a chain or similar flexible member 36, designed to wind up upon the shaft 17, as illustrated in Fig. 7, and connected at one end to the actuating-lever 37 for the clutch 23. Preferably the fiexible member 36 is attached to the lever 37 by some detachable connection-as, for instance, a hook and ring 38. As the shaft 17 rotates to effect the elevation of the series of cars the chain or flexible member 36 will wind up upon the shaft 17 and as soon as it becomes taut will draw upon the lever 37 and automatically effect the uncoupling of the two sections of the shaft 21, which, as is manifest, will throw .the elevating and lowering section of said shaft out of gear. It is obvious that this action may be effected also as the shaft 8 is being lowered, this movement being accompanied merely by the change of direction of the shaft 17'. The chain 36 may be so proportioned as to automatically stop the elevation or lowering of the shaft 8 and the cars carried thereby at any desired point, and it will be seen that it constitutes an effective safety mechanism. In order to throw that section of the shaft 21 back again into gear after the safety mechanism has acted, the before-mentioned detachable connection 38 is provided, so that the operator may unhook the chain from the lever 37 and manipulate the latter to reverse the movement of the clutch. After the clutch has coupled the two sections of the shaft to ether the safety mechanism may be at once rought into operative relation to the other parts by again hooking the chain to the lever 37 after one or two revolutions of the shaft 17.

It is obvious that the independent arrangement by which the cars 11 may be revolved without effecting a raising and lowering movement of the same bodily may be taken advantage of with the cars at the lower limit of their movement, so as to bring one car IOO IIO

after the other to a platform at the base of 13o raising and lowering said carriage at the same-time it is being revolved, a clutch del signed to connect the revolving mechanism with the raising and lowering mechanism, anda detachable connection between a portion of the raising and lowering mechanism and the actuating part of said clutch, said connection being arranged to automatically actuate the clutch at a certain point in the elevation of the carriage, in such a manner as to disconnect the revolving mechanism from the raising and lowering mechanism.

2. In an observation-tower, the combination of the tower proper, mounted to move up and down on said tower, a hoisting-shaft designed to effect the raising and lowering of the carriage, mechanism for revolving the carriage as it is being raised and lowered, and a driving-shaft operatively connected to said last-named mechanism and having ay clutch connection with the hoistingshaft, whereby the hoisting-shaft may be dissigned to extend both above and kshaf vconnected from the driving-shaft and the hoisting and lowering mechanism thrown out of gear without affecting the revolution of the carriage.

3. In an observation-tower, the combination of the tower proper, a revoluble carriage mounted to move up and down on said tower, means for moving said tower u and down, a revoluble shaft embodied in sai carriage and provided with a band wheel, an endless cable looped around said band-wheel and debelow said t, and means for effecting a traverse of said cable whereby to revolve the carriage.

4. An observation-tower, comprising a tower structure provided with vertical guideways, hangers mounted to move in said a revoluble carriage guideways, hoisting-cables operatively connected to said hangers to raise and lower the same, a transverse shaft journaled in said hangers, a revoluble series of cars carried on said shaft, a band-wheel mounted on said f shaft,- u per and lower transverse shafts mounte 1n the framework and each provided with a pulley, ,an endless cable extending around said pulleys and loo ed around said bandheel, means for -e ecting the traverse of said cable, and hoisting mechanism for the hoisting-cable.

5. An .observation-tower comprising a tower structure, a revoluble carriage mounted to move up and down on said structure,

a hoisting-shaft mounted in the lower end of said structure and provided with hoistingdrums, hoisting-cables operatively connected to the revoluble carriage and designed to wind around said drums ,a worm-shaft operatively connected to the hoisting-shaft and constructed in two clutch-connected sections, means for driving one of said sections, means for revolving' the carriage, an operative connection between said revolving means and ythe driven section of the worm-shaft, a lever designed to manually operate the clutch, and a flexible member connected to said lever and designed to wind around the hoisting-shaft, as and for the'purpose set forth.

6. In an observation-towenthe combination of a ltower structure, a revoluble carriage mounted to move up vand structure, means including ahoisting-shaft for raising'and lowering the carriage, means for revolving the carriage, a clutch designed to couple and uncouple the revolving mechanism to and from the hoisting mechanism and including a lever, and a flexible member designed to wind around the hoisting-shaft and having a detachable connection with the clutch-lever, as and for the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereofI afliX in presence of two witnesses.

.CHARLES H. oooLEY. 4[L Si down on said tower my signature 

